Ancient Egyptian Gods Gallery

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Bastet

Bastet was the cat-goddess of Bubastis in the Eastern Delta. She was probably worshipped originally as a wild cat (Felis vercata maniculata), but her later manifestations were as the domestic cat that was introduced into Egypt around 2100 BC.

She was depicted as a woman with a cat's head, or in the form that is familiar to us from the numerous Late-Period statues of her, that of a lissom and majestic queen cat.

Although a virgin goddess she was nevertheless the mother of a son, Mihos. In the Late Period her popularity was so great that worshippers flocked to her temple for the annual festival held in her honour. The Greeks identified her with Artemis, the divine huntress.

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